They weren't looking for silver, but they found it. Hauling lumber through the Wet Mountain Valley in 1873, three men spot a sheer cliff of dark, waxy-looking rock. It’s horn silver: chlorargyrite. When melted down, 75% pure. Word spreads fast. Thousands stake claims and build shanties in a place they name Silver Cliff. It grew into one of Colorado’s biggest cities. A wild, roaring center of the state’s silver boom. But like many boomtowns, eventually came the bust. Mineral veins thinned, the market faltered, then the silver panic of 1893 sent prices crashing. Miners left as quickly as they arrived and left hills dotted with abandoned mine shafts.
Silver Cliff is today a sliver of what it used to be, but still draws seekers of a different sparkling treasure: starry nights. Alongside neighboring Westcliff, it’s now a certified international dark sky community.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
